Police arrested a man outside the Washington, D.C., residence of former President Barack Obama on Thursday afternoon after discovering firearms, ammo and ingredients to create bombs inside the suspect’s van.
Taylor Taranto, 37 – suspected of being involved in the Capitol riot on Jan. 6, 2021 – streamed his activities before being arrested, including driving into the neighborhood and having a brief conversation with a Secret Service agent stationed there, according to The New York Times.
In the video, he discussed wanting to speak with John Podesta, a Democratic leader who has been the subject of far-right conspiracy theories. He mentioned that the area includes underground tunnels.
He remarked, “I’m outside Barack Obama’s house,” at one point during the live stream.
In a statement, the city’s Metropolitan Police Department said Taranto was charged with being a fugitive from justice. The U.S. Capitol Police issued the arrest warrant but did not specify the charges.
The police who arrested Taranto requested assistance from a city explosives squad to search the suspect’s van. They reportedly found several hundred rounds of ammunition and items to possibly create explosives.
The Capitol Police officers helped in the investigation “due to a concern for public safety and the potential for violence against members of Congress,” Jason Bell, the agency’s acting assistant chief for protective and intelligence operations, said in a statement.
It’s unknown if the Obamas were at home at the time of the incident. When Taranto was arrested, he was outside of what the Secret Service refers to as the “protective zone” surrounding the house.
The official stated that Taranto’s case was still under investigation, including why he was in the upscale area where the Obamas have lived in a Tudor-style estate since 2017.
The wife of Metropolitan Police Department officer Jeffrey Smith, who committed suicide following the violence at the Capitol, has filed a lawsuit against Taranto. According to the suit, Taranto gave a cane or crowbar to another individual who then used it to hurt Smith during the attack, a claim he denies.
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